TOBY TABs

["mgutkowski@xxxx" <webmaster@xxxx>]

Hi All

Did you know that several of the last sets of Toby Trailing Arm Bolts found
their way "across the pond" to England?

Well, on Saturday, Chris Hawes, with his 10,000 miles car drove to the
Diesel Centre for a service, belts and TABs.

Anyway, apart from discovering an leaky driveshaft oil seal and that his
air filter was factory original (!), we also discovered that his driver's
side TAB was badly bent. We also discovered that it had been replaced
already with a hardened high tensile bolt. We discovered this when Jason
(the mechanic) took 4 hacksaw blades to cut through it. His comment was
"better to cut the bolt in half than risk deforming the steel sleeves
forcing it out", and an angle grinder would only burr up the edges.

The passenger side bolt was also ever-so-slightly kinked too - and
interestingly I noticed that although it did not have much rust to speak
of, it DID, however have a patch of surface rust where the sleeve that goes
through the bushing had been trying to shear it.

In other words, on this hardened, high tensile bolt, the plating had been
compromised due to the stresses of this application, and managed to bend it.

On the one hand, you could go through the hassle of checking/replacing
these bolts at every service - and let's face it, they're really not that
expensive - or you could invest in a set of Toby's TABs - specifically
produced for the purpose, with all the paperwork to tell you WHY they are
more than up to the job, coming as they do with a personal guarantee from a
structural engineer in the aerospace industry that you will never again
have to worry about these bolts rusting, bending, breaking or even coming
loose!

Some say it's overkill, well I say before you consider paying out on the
next bit of work or item of interior trim that could wait till next
pay-day, invest in a set of Toby's bolts NOW. Consider it a very small
one-off insurance policy against one of the most serious design flaws in
the car.

That's assuming Toby gets enough interest to make some more.

More reading matter:

http://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/tabolts.html
http://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/tabolts2.html

Martin
#1458 (Toby TAB's on standby for when she emerges from her winter slumber)
#4426 (Will buy a new set if/when more are made available)

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